It's a blimp! It's a helicopter! It's a plane!

What kid hasn't watched the sky wondering how airplanes soar so high above them? What youngster hasn't stared up, curious about who's flying in them, where they're going, and why? Now, all their questions about air-bound transportation will be answered, thanks to Flying Machines, Rourke Publishing's lively and informative new Discovery Library series.

Sweeping first through fourth graders away on a vividly-illustrated journey of flight-filled discovery, each easy-to-read title in this high-interest series presents a solid interdisciplinary education covering the history, science, and practical uses of its specific sky-high subject. 

Youthful minds are sure to absorb the series' streamlined facts as they gaze at the wealth of exciting, full-color photographs enlivening every page. Specially designed to correlate to standards of learning, the titles in the series include:

•  Blimps - 'Helium,' 'Lighter than Air,' 'The First Blimps,' 'War,' 'A Terrible Accident,' 'Blimps Today,' and 'Parts of a Blimp.'

•  Cargo Planes - 'Inside a  Cargo Plane,' 'Loading the Cargo,' 'Large & Live Cargo,' 'Disaster Relief,' 'Fast Delivery,' and 'How We Use Cargo Planes.'

•  First Flight - 'Dreams of Flight,' 'Wright Brothers,' 'War,' 'Different Uses For Planes,' 'Types of Planes,' 'Flight Today,' and 'Aviation Shows.'

•  Helicopters - 'The First Helicopters,' 'How We Use Helicopters,' 'Amazing Abilities,' 'How Do Helicopters Fly?' 'Where do Helicopters Land?' 'Military Helicopters,' 'Types of Helicopters,' and 'Future Helicopters.'

•  Jet Airliners - 'The First Commercial Jet Airliner,' 'The Jet Engine,' 'The Boeing 747,' 'The Concorde,' 'Altitude,' 'Speed,' and 'The Future of Jet Airplanes.'

•  Military Planes - 'The History of Military Planes,' 'Types of Military Planes,' 'Modern Military Planes,' 'Computer Controls,' 'Types of Weapons,' 'Stealth Fighter,' and, 'Ejection Seats.'

Kids will soar through the fact-filled text, gaining extra learning thanks to bolded glossary terms and captivating photo captions. Teachers are certain to appreciate the helpful glossary, detailed index, and further resources list (including Internet sites) too.

Flying Machines series author Kelly Baysura has taught grades 1, 4, and 5 and was recently employed in the education field as a reading specialist.